Law firm Keoghs onboards partner and 20-strong team
A team of 20 specialists from law firm Clyde & Co, formerly BLM, headed by Jo Francis, has joined Keoghs’ Corporate & Sector Risk (CSR) practice.
Ms Francis has been appointed as partner at Keoghs, which said the appointments further establishes it as the UK’s largest provider of lawyer-led corporate risk solutions.
The incoming team specialises in claims solutions for major UK and global corporates and significantly strengthens the Keoghs CSR practice, bringing with them upwards of 15 high profile clients and helping diversify the practice into new sector specialisms.
This major strategic move, the second in the past three months, will complement and build on the already strong sector presence Keoghs holds in retail, transport and logistics, leisure and hospitality, and food and drink. It also creates and helps consolidate a new construction division with Jo leading a core team which will work across the business. A further sector team is to be developed in the New Year, also with Jo at the helm.
Jo joins Keoghs after 29 years at BLM where she made partner in 2002, proceeding to build a stellar reputation throughout the corporate risk market, heading up the firm’s Liverpool office and leading its claims management services practice group. She has managed a number of corporate client accounts for many years and handles casualty claims for construction, manufacturing and logistics companies.
The transferred team as a whole includes two former Clyde & Co partners and an associate, all of whom will be based out of Keoghs CSR’s head office in Liverpool.
Jo Francis said: “I am really excited by this move and the opportunity for the transferring team and clients to join forces with Keoghs’ specialist corporate risk practice.
Joanne Francis
“Keoghs is a fantastic destination and it’s already proving to be a great home. This combination, alongside other hires, helps further cement Keoghs CSR as the UK’s leading lawyer-led corporate risk practice, and I am looking forward to working with my new colleagues to develop it even further.”
Practice lead for Keoghs CSR, Andrew Evans, said: “Bringing in Jo and her team of talented individuals was always one of our top strategic priorities, combining the best of the best in Liverpool and continuing to deliver quality single source services to major UK and global risks.
“It allows us to diversify, strengthen our market share within our established sectors and provides a platform for all to continue to grow and fulfil their own career ambitions.
“The feedback from the market has been extremely positive and as we accelerate to perhaps five or six times bigger than our closest competitor, it now enables us to offer a level of insight and streamlined solutions that are truly unrivalled.”
The announcement follows the appointment of partner, Sally Richmond, in October.
